Gun lubrication



H. H. CUMMINGS.

GUN LUBRICATION.

APPLICATION man Jun: 9. |920.

Patented Allg. 31, 1920.

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APPLxc/mon FILED was 9. 1920.

Patented Aug. 31, 1920.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY HAVELOCK CUMMINGS, OF NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT p AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, OF ONE-HALF TO JOHN TALIAFERRO THOMPSON,- OF NEWPORT, KENTUCKY, AND ONE-HALF TO THOMAS FORTUNE RYAN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

GUN LUBRICATION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 31, 1920.

T 0 all lwhom, t may Concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY HAvELocii CUMMINGS, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Newton, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Gun Lubrication, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to a new and improved method and means for lubricating ammunition in connection with a gun and more particularly for spraying a lubricant upon cartridges in the magazine of a gun.

In high powered arms of types now in use the chamber pressures caused by the combustion of the propelling charge are exceedingly high. Cartridge cases are formed of relatively soft metals such as copper alloys and the high chamber pressure presses the case into very intimate contact with the chamber walls, distorting the case to fit any slight irregularities in those walls. The result of this action isoften to render very difficult and uncertain the extraction of the cartridge case, the case occasionally being ruptured by the force applied by the extractor and a part remaining in the chamber.

These difficulties are a fruitful source of jams and this is particularly true of automatic or semi-automatic arms where the cartridge is removed very rapidly and is started rearward with a very sudden jar. Another deleterious effect of the high chamber pressure is the erosion of the bore caused by the heated gases. This is particularly marked where sustained bursts are fired and the barrel becomes very hot. The temperature and the erosive effects are greatest immediately adjacent the powder chamber where the gases leave the cartridge case and come into immediate contact with the bore.

Experiment has proven that the thorough lubrication of both the bullet and cartridge case has a marked effect in reducing this erosion and in prolonging the accuracy life of the barrel. The lubricant upon the bullet oils the bore and reduces danger of metal fouling. The lubricant also acts to very materially reduce the friction between the cartridge case and chamber and is thus a great aid 'in reducing or eliminating ]ams and in speeding up the action of the piece.

A number of devices have heretofore been devised in the endeavor to secure the advantages of lubrication by lubricating the bore directly, by placing lubricating pads in the magazine of the gun or by lubricating the ammunition at the time of manufacture. Lubrication of the bore directly, involves a port in the bore which is undesirable for many reasons, and the port must of necessity be so small that there is a danger of clogging. Lubricating pads in the chamber require renewal -or relubrication at short intervals, and it is difiicult to construct pads which will adequately lubricate all parts of a cartridge. Lubrication of the ammunition at the time of manufacture is undesirable for the reason that a heavy lubricant is necessary in such cases since it must avoid volatilization for long storage periods, and such lubricants are liable to gum the gun mechanism. Moreover, lubricated cartridges have a marked tendency to piclr up foreign matter adhering to the lubricant.

Broadly defined, my invention consists in lubricating the cartridges while in the gun magazine by means of a spray or jet of lubricant and I actuate the spraying device by means of the usual manipulation of the breech closure of the piece.

It is an object of my invention to provide a new and improved means for the lubrication of the ammunition, the means being adapted to be formed as a part of the gun and to lubricate the ammunition while in the gun magazine. It is also an object to provide a device of this character that vwill directly spray the lubricant upon the cartridges and which avoids the use of pads or other similar lubricating means. It is another object to provide a device which is positive in its operation and which is actuated by the normal use of the piece to which it is fitted. It is a further object to provide a device of the character described which involves a minimum of change in existing gun mechanisms in order to adapt them to its use, and which is simple in construction and relatively inexpensive to manufacture and to install in a gun. Other and further objects will appear as the description proceeds.

I have illustrated a preferred. form of my invention in the accompanying drawing in which- Figure l is a longitudinal section of a gun showing my lubricating device in position, the section being taken on the line 1-1 of Fig. 3, and the gun bolt beiner partly closed; Fig. 2 is a view similar to f ig. 1 but with the gun bolt fully closed;

Fig. 3 is a plan view ofa portion of the gun stock with my lubricating device in position;

Fig. 4 is a section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of the pump check valve member;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary section showing the filling check valve;

Fig. '7 is a bottom view of the pump assembly with the cover plate removed;

Fig. 8 is apartial section on line 8-8 of Fi 1; and

iig. 9 is a partial section on line 9-9 of Fig. 2.

The gun shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and the stock of which is shown in Fig. 3 is the U. S. Army service rifle Model 1903 and in itself forms no part of the present invention which consists in the lubrication system here shown applied to such a riie for the purpose of illustration. The rifle comprises the iXed base 11, receiver 12, bolt 13, band 14, sleeve 15, cooking piece 16, stock 17 guard bow 18, guard 19 and magazine walls 20.

My lubricating device is contained in the stock, the lubricant reservoir 21 extending well forward under the barrel as shown in Fig. 3, and retained in place by the cross bar 22 and screws 23. The pump housing 24 is located directly in the rear of the reservoir and is provided with the cover 25. The pump well 26 is provided with the enlargement 27 which is connected to the reservoir by the duct 28. The lower portion of the pump well carries the washer 29 which is cut away at 30 to communicate with the outlet port 31. The pump plunger 32 carries the stud 33 adapted to closely fit the opening in the washer 29.

The upper part of the pump plunger 32 is provided with the operating stud 34, the head of which is engaged by the lift lever 35, which latter is pivoted to the pump housing at 36. The outlet port 31 is extended upward at 37 and is intersected by the oblique passage 38. The valve 39 operates at the point where the port turns upward and is normally held downward by the spring 4() which is retained by the nut 41 screwing into the oblique passage 38.

The delivery tube 4 2 opens from the outlet port 37 and is connected to the top of the pump housing by the plate 43. This tube passes to the head of the magazine wall 2O and is provided with two delivery openings 44 extending through the wall and spaced in relation to the cartridges in the magazine as shown in Fig. 4.

The lift lever is directly connected to the lift arm 45 which has a pivoted connection to the operating rod 46. The operating rod 46 is provided with the foot 47 and the operating lug 48. The foot 47 lits in the guide 49. The guide finger 50 which is fastened to the stock at 51 serves to limit the inward movement of the operating rod, and the rod is normally pressed against this finger by the spring 52 which presses against the stock. The operating rod is normally held by the spring 53 in the position in which it is shown in Figs. 2 and 8. The spring 53 is fastened to the stock at 54, and normally retains the rod 46 in the position shown in Fig. 2.

-The operating lug 48 is adapted to contact with the forward surface of the lateral extension 55 on the bolt sleeve 15 as shown in Fig. 1, and when carried forward to contact with the cam surface 61 of the overhanging portion 62 of the guide linger 50 and to be thrust outward by the cam 61 against the spring 52 until released from the eXtension 55.

The reservoir 2O is provided with the inlet check valve 56 having the valve member 57 held in its seat by the spring'58 as shown in Fig. 6. The check valve 39 is shown in detail in Fig. 5 and is provided with the forward knife edge 59 and with the spring guide pin 60 adapted to receive the spring 40.

In the operation of my device the reservoir 20 is filled through the valve 56 with any desired liquid lubricant. Cartridges are placed in the magazine in the usual manner and the bolt operated. Toward the end of the forward movement of the bolt the lug 48 will come in Contact with the forward surface of the lateral extension 55 of the bolt sleeve and the operating rod 46 will be carried forward a short distance as shown in Fig. 1. This will lift the pump plunger as shown in Fig. 1 and permit oil to flow in to the pump well 26.

As the bolt moves forward the lug 48 is pressed outward by the cam 61 against the force of the spring 52, is released from the extension 55 and is brought back to the position of Fig. 2 by the spring 53. This movement serves to bring the pump plunger downward and forces oil past the check valve 39 and through the port 37, pipe 42 and discharge outlets 44 and sprays it upon the cartridges in the magazine as shown in Fig. 4. As the cartridges rise, each is sprayed twice, first as it lies below the adjacent opening 44 and second as it lies above that opening. This relation of the openings to the cartridges is shown in Fig. 4.

It should be noted that the spraying stroke of the pump is actuated not by the forward movement of the rod 46 but by its rearward stroke under the impulse of the spring 53. This is important as it assures uniformity of pumping regardless of the speed with which the bolt is closed.

Another important feature of the design of the device lies in the fact that the pump rod is actuated by the last portion of the closing bolt movement as this makes it possible when starting to use the gun, to fill the magazine and then by short strokes of t-he bolt to thoroughly lubricate the rst cartridges before drawing the bolt back for the full stroke and passing a cartridge to the chamber.

The valve member 39 is easily forced away against the spring 40, by the flowing lubricant when the pump plunger moves downward. The valve seats quickly at the end of the stroke and effectively prevents the upward movement of the pump piston from sucking the oil out of the pipe 42 upon its next upward stroke.

VThe volume of oil pumped at each stroke is determined by the volume of the opening in the washer 29 into which the stud 33 has a snug fit. The opening in the washer 29 constitutes the actual effective pump cylinder, and the pump plunger 32 is provided with suiiicient clearance in the enlargement 27 and well 26 so that effective pumping compression is only afforded by the engagement of the stud 33 in the opening in the washer 29. This volume may be readily changed by removing the cover 25, removing the washer 29, substituting therefor a washer with a different sized opening and making a corresponding substitution for the stud 33 While I have shown m lubricating device as applied to a U. Army rifle, it may obviously be applied without material modification to any rifle having a reciprocating bolt. Y

I claim:

1. In combination with a gun, a lubricant reservoir, means for pumping lubricant from the reservoir and outlet means adapted to discharge the lubricant upon cartridges in the gun magazine.

2. In combination with a gun, a lubricant reservoir, means for pumping lubricant from the reservoir and a plurality of outlet ports adapted to spray the lubricant upon cartridges in the magazine.

3. In combination with a gun, a lubricant reservoir, means for pumping lubricant from the reservoir and outlet means adapted to discharge the lubricant upon cartridges in the gun magazine, the outlet means being so arranged in relation to the cartridges in the magazine as to lubricate each cartridge a plurality of times.

4. In combination with a gun, a lubricant reservoir, means for pumping lubricant from the reservoir and a plurality of outlet ports adapted to spray the lubricant upon cartridges in the magazine, the ports being so arranged as to spray lubricant upon each cartridge from both above and below during the movement of the cartridges in the magazine.

5. In combination with a gun having a movable breech closure, a lubricant reservoir and a pump adapted to discharge lubricant from the reservoir, spring means adapted to operate the pump, the spring means being operatively associated with the movable breech closure whereby energy is stored therein during the movement of the breech closure.

'6. In combination with a gun having a movable breech closure, a lubricant reservoir and a pump adapted to discharge lubricant from the reservoir, spring means adapted to operate the pump, the spring means be ing operatively associated with the movable breech closure whereby energy is Stored therein during the movement of the breech closure, and whereby the stored energy is released to operate the pump at a predetermined point in the movement of the breech closure.

7. In combination with a gun having a reciprocatory breech closure, a lubricant reservoir and a pump adapted to discharge lubricant from the reservoir, spring means adapted to operate the pump, the spring means being operatively associated with the movable breech closure whereby energy is stored therein during the latter portion of the closing movement of the breech closure.

8. In combination with a gun, a lubricant reservoir and a piston pump associated therewith, the piston being normally in the exhaust position, the pump being so associated with the parts of the gun that the piston is moved to intake position by normal operation of the piece, and spring means adapted to return the piston to exhaust position.

9. In combination with a gun, a lubricant reservoir and a pump associated therewith, the effective pump cylinder comprising the opening in a removable washer, the piston having a portion extending into the opening and, the capacity of the pump being measured by the opening in the removable washer.

10. In combination with a gun, a lubricant reservoir and a piston pump associated therewith, the effective pump cylinder comprising the opening in a removable washer, the capacity of the pump being measured by the opening in the washer, vthe piston being provided with a removable stud interfitting with the said opening.

11. In combination with a gun, a lubricant reservoir and a piston pump associated therewith, the effective pump cylinder comprising the opening in a removable washer, the capacity o the pump being measured by the opening in the washer, the piston being provided with a removable stud interitting with the said opening, and the pump having an exhaust port with an obliquely operating check valve therein.

12. In combination with a gun having a movable breech closure, a lubricant reservoir, a pump associated therewith, an actuating rod for said pump, a spring adapted to position a portion of said rod to come in contact with a portion of the movable breech closure, means to move the rod out of contact with the breech closure at a predetermined point in its movement, and means to restore the rod to its initial position.

13. In combination with a gun having a movable breech closure, a lubricant reservoir, a pump associated therewith, an actuating rod for said pump, a spring adapted to position a portion of said rod to come in contact with a portion of the movable breech closure, means to move the'rod out of contact with the breech closure at a predetermined point in its movement, and means to restore the rod to its initial position, the pumping stroke of the actuating rod taking place during its return movement.

14. In combination With a gun having a movable breech closure, a lubricant reservoir, a pump associated therewith, an actuating rod for said pump, a spring adapted to position a portion of said rod to come in contact with a portion of the movable breech closure, during a portion of its closing movement, a cam adapted to move the rod out of contact with the breech closure and a spring adapted to return the actuating rod to normal position.

l5. In combination with a gun having a movable breech closure, a lubricant reservoir, a pump associated therewith, an actuating rod for said pump, a spring adapted to'position a portion of said rod to come in contact with a portion of the movable breech closure, during a portion of its closing movement, a cam adapted to move the rod out of contact With the breech closure and a spring adapted to return the actuating rod to normal position, the pumping stroke of the actuating rod taking place during its return movement.

Signed by me at Boston, Massachusetts, this 12th day of May, 1920.

HENRY HAVELOCK CUMMINGS. 

